Custos warns against rejoicing when gunmen are killed

Western Bureau:

While many Jamaicans have been expressing delight that the security forces appear to be turning the tables on gunmen, resulting in more than 80 persons killed in alleged confrontations with lawmen since the start of the year, Westmoreland Custos Reverend Hartley Perrin is warning against rejoicing at these deaths.

“Any killing, whether it is done by civilian or by the State, is cause for concern and we should not rejoice at the killing of anybody, even if the person is found guilty of some crime,” said Perrin, in the aftermath of Monday's killing of six alleged gunmen in two separate incidents in western Jamaica.

While not questioning the police's account of the two shooting incidents, one in Grange Hill, Westmoreland, and the other in West Village in St James, Perrin said his preference would be to see criminals surrender and have their day in court.

“The police have told us, and we have no reasons to doubt them, that many of those they would want to go and apprehend have raised their guns towards them and they have had to retaliate,” said Perrin. “In some instances, we really can't blame the police. But we would wish and hope that things would be different, so that we do not have the number of killings, whether by police or by civilians, because there is really too much bloodshed in our country.”

In the aftermath of Monday's killing, scores of persons on social media came down on the side of the police, saying they were doing a great job in turning the tables on gunmen who have been holding the nation at ransom for too long, with more than 1,000 murders registered across the island each year.

“Listen, police nah play. It is not the time to be a gunman 'cause police a send unoo to the maker; 'cause they nah give unoo a chance to face the judge, to waste time and taxpayer money,” wrote one person.

Another person wrote, “Officer, good job indeed,” which was followed by fire emojis to support the comment.

Following an incident in St James last year, where an alleged gangster was killed in a shootout with the police at a guest house in downtown Montego Bay, Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, the police commander for the parish, said the police are not in the business of celebrating the killing of gunmen.

“We are always happy when firearms are recovered, but we are never happy when lives are lost, as we prefer when criminals surrender to the police,” Samuels told The Gleaner at the time. “We will never celebrate the loss of life … . If in defending themselves (the police) and the people of Jamaica a life is lost, it is usually because we have no choice.”

Perrin, who has been a long-standing advocate of community policing, said he was concerned about the fact that some of the killings that are taking place are happening in the presence of children.

“In some instances, the killings take place in the presence of youngsters and that has a lasting impact, psychologically, on them and [other] persons who see these things happen around them,” said Perrin. “So, we have to be very careful; it (crime-fighting) is a long journey, not an easy fix, but it is something we have to be concerned about and take steps to alleviate.”

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